Last week, Primary School Savremena promoted different activities through which the students expanded their knowledge on online violence and the safe use of the Internet and social media.

The activities included workshops, new subjects and a special board, all of which engaged students with the topic of online safety.

The school designed content for each class in accordance with their age group and interests. One workshop was called Safe Surfing and was conducted in a highly creative fashion. The students were invited to design a board on the topic of online violence, and they also created a box where the students could put notes with unpleasant experiences they’ve had on social media.

A BOX WITH A CLEAR AND SAFE MESSAGE

The sign on the box for reporting online violence was “Say No for Yourself and Others”, which was a clear message on how we should think and react in unpleasant situations. Together with Art teacher Suzana Vulović, students in class V-2 created the box and placed it on a visible spot at the school.

Experts cooperating with the school provided students with answers to questions regarding the problems they could face, and gave them advice on how to react in a difficult situation. 

Cyberbullying is particularly worrying, as a child may be constantly exposed to it, and the problem itself is often not taken seriously. This is why it’s important to foster awareness about which activities are conducted online, how we spend our time in cyberspace, what websites we visit and who we communicate with.

PEER TUTORING AND SITUATION WORKSHOP

An especially important activity during Internet Safety Week was the one where senior class students conveyed their experiences to their younger schoolmates. Peer tutoring once again proved to be an excellent tool for gaining valuable knowledge necessary for a safe online interaction.

Another interesting workshop was titled “Situation–Reaction”. The goal was to teach students how to react in a situation where they are victims of online violence. With our guidance, the students learnt how to react in the best possible way and find a solution to a problem between two friends without resorting to hate speech on social media. Focus was on solving problems through dialogue between peers, rather than online violence which can have long-lasting consequences on one’s personality.